Not all great football players start playing football at the age of 3, and this professional athlete is a great example. DeMarcus Ware didn’t step onto a football field until his junior year of high school. Before then, he had played baseball, basketball, and track. During football season his senior year, he was named MVP Linebacker/Receiver and completed 55 tackles with seven sacks.
Ware received a scholarship from Troy University and earned a degree in business information systems, where he became the first member of his family to graduate college. He was drafted 11th overall in 2005 by the Dallas Cowboys. DeMarcus has had, and continues to have a successful NFL career. He has been named in six consecutive Pro Bowls and from 2009-2011 had made 46 sacks. Aside from football Ware enjoys music, Mexican food, and spending time with his family and God.
Marrying his high school sweetheart Taniqua in 2005, they immediately wanted to start a family but had more difficulty than success. Taniqua lost three children – two from miscarriage and one from stillbirth. The couple was told their child was without kidneys and would not survive which led their son Omar to be born still in 2006. They wanted a family so much, it was then the couple considered adoption and brought home their adopted little girl Marley, who was born on Leap Day 2008. Excited to finally be a father, Ware says that this child “changed his life, made him more responsible, fulfilled him in a way that football never had”. Daughter Marley became big sister to DeMarcus Jr. in 2010 when the couple gave birth to their beautiful healthy son.
His advice for other fathers with child-bearing issues; “Never give up, keep seeking the answers you’re looking for and keep doing everything you can. Because you never know when that little miracle will come along.” Even if it means the little miracle will come through adoption, never give up on your dreams of creating a family.
Photo Credit: FootballSchedule
For more information about MLJ’s international adoption programs, please click here.
Jordan Kelly
Jordan Kelly is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business where she majored in Marketing. As an assistant at MLJ Adoptions, Jordan does everything from event planning and managing social media, to writing blogs and designing advertisements.
Jordan Kelly
Jordan Kelly is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business where she majored in Marketing. As an assistant at MLJ Adoptions, Jordan does everything from event planning and managing social media, to writing blogs and designing advertisements.